The devil is in the detail with oil rig hook-ups like this one

“The stakes were high, so we upped our agility”

Stian Urdal, Account Manager, Energyst Norway

A limited amount of space can sometimes expand your horizon.

In 2014, one of the world’s largest oil and gas companies – operating in 37 countries, employing almost 36,000 people worldwide and with their head office in Norway – asked Energyst Norway to provide a comprehensive, temporary power solution for their brand new, state of the art oil platform. “We obviously didn’t have to think twice and took on the challenge”, explains Energyst’s Account Manager Stian Urdal, closely involved in the execution of the project. “We literally went to extremes to show our client that our service is unparalleled. What started out as a short-term project, initially, was successfully prolonged by our client thanks to our operational excellence and the close contact we had with our customer.”

The company had just finished building a new oil rig in South-Korea.

A platform specifically designed to further expand their drilling operations in the North Sea. A soon as the massive operation of transporting the oil platform to its proper offshore location was completed, the company needed enough power for the hook-up. And to perform tests to make sure every critical part of the platform was fully functional so the rig could be up and running in a matter of months. Urdal: “With hook-ups like this one, the devil is in the details. Once fully operational, making adjustments to the power supply of drilling equipment and cranes takes valuable time. Which causes costly downtime. Not to mention the fact that an improper hook-up may present a danger to personnel working on the platform. All the more reason for Energyst to come up with a fast, reliable solution. And, of course, sufficient power to meet the requirements of the platform.”

“Our team worked around the clock to ensure the units would be able to meet our client’s high demands.”

Stian Urdal

Account Manager at Energyst Norway

Anyone can deliver the required amount of kVA’s. But there is a twist.

Because making them fit in two much more powerful containers compact enough for an oil platform requires Real Energy. “One of our biggest challenges was the limited amount of square metres available on the drilling platform. Luckily, we had some tricks up our sleeves”, Urdal recalls. “The client’s main concern was to be able to generate the power they needed from generators that wouldn’t take up too much space. And we had to keep in mind that this project also required a 4 MVA transformer and an 8000-litre fuel tank. Since we tend to think outside the box in our search for engineering innovation, our technicians and engineers were already working on a special project that perfectly fitted our client’s desire: two customised, DNV 2.7-1 certified, NORSOK certified generators built into 20-foot containers that could produce 1700 kVA each. So, when we closed the deal with this client, we were even more committed to building these safety-driven, NORSOK approved offshore units and getting them finished in time.”

Energyst decided to strengthen the ties with the client by fully involving them in this process.

“The stakes were high, so we upped our agility. Our team worked around the clock to ensure the units would be able to meet our client’s high demands”, Urdal says. “The units had to maintain functional under extreme tolerances. Therefore, the client’s input was of the utmost importance. Besides a visit to our factory in Germany where the units were being built, we organised weekly conference calls with our customer to discuss every single detail.”

Cooperating with the client further increased Energyst’s engineering focus.

As well as our constant pursuit of perfection. Urdal explains: “As soon as the units were finished we transported them to Norway where we carried out a number of tests. Normally these take several weeks. But with the oil platform soon arriving in the North Sea, we could only perform the most essential ones before delivering the units offshore. You could say they practically went straight from the factory to the oil rig. But we were confident the units would function perfectly. Nevertheless, it was quite exciting to find out how they would perform. They stood the test and performed flawlessly. Just as we had expected.”

“One of our biggest challenges was the limited amount of square metres available on the drilling platform. Luckily we had some tricks up our sleeves.”

Stian Urdal

Account Manager at Energyst Norway

With every unit in place, the project was in the hands of Energyst’s trusted technicians.

Urdal: “From August to December we had specialists on site 24/7. They performed maintenance checks and made sure that no major errors occurred. They were part of our client’s team and went out of their way to ensure a smooth and especially carefree hook-up.” The client finished the job in December but wanted the Energyst material to remain offshore. In April and May of 2015 they needed extra power to run more power security tests. After yet another period of testing, the project came to a successful end and the equipment was shipped to an Energyst depot in Norway. “We only had one week to thoroughly test and prepare the generators for their next project. When our customers discovered that we had built these two unique, high power units, they became highly sought after to say the least!”

In the end, Energyst met the customer’s expectations. And exceeded them.

The Energyst team employed all their knowledge and expertise. And engineered a completely new and one-off product. Stian Urdal: “This project has been very challenging and rewarding at the same time. It’s amazing to see our team really came through for this client. We were recently informed that our customer has discovered more recoverable oil in the North Sea. We are proud to have been a part of this success!”

How can we bring Real Energy to your world?

To find out more about our design and engineering expertise, or to ask our advice on power, heating or cooling, contact your nearest Energyst rental location or simply call 00800 3637 4978. We will put all our energy into helping you find the right solution.